This list includes information on funders that have a North East or Northumberland focus and will be updated as and when we receive information on funding deadlines. It is important that you check with each funder directly as deadlines may change.

Don't leave your application until the deadline, as some funds may close early!

This fund will support people within lower socio-economic groups who currently participate in less than 30 minutes activity each week.

This includes those who are employed in ‘semi-routine’ jobs, like shop assistants, hairdressers and bus drivers; people in ‘routine’ jobs, like waiters, cleaners and building labourers. It also includes people who are long-term unemployed or have never been employed. They typically fall within the National Statistic Social-Economic Classification (or NS-SEC) groups 6-8.

The fund has 3 different funding options;

Funding option A: £2m will support larger projects from £25,000 up to a maximum of £500,000. This part of the fund will support projects aimed at inactive people who are in employment. They will be ordinary people and families who sometimes, or often, struggle to make ends meet. They can find it hard to build physical activity into their lives, or feel being active isn’t for them.

Funding option B: £1m will support projects between £25,000 and £100,000. This will focus on projects aimed at inactive people who are far less likely to have a steady income, or any income at all, and face more extreme disadvantage. They may also be facing other challenges, such as being at risk of offending or dealing with substance misuse.

Funding option C: We know that sometimes small amounts of money, especially for smaller local groups, can make a big difference, so 5% of the total fund (£150,000) will be used to fund smaller awards between £1,000 and £10,000. This can be used to support either of the two groups of people described above

The closing date for expressions of interest to option A and option B, and full applications to the small grant (option C) is 5pm on the 6th of November 2017.

Northumberland Sport are keen to support anyone interested in applying to any of the funding options and are particularly keen to promote the small grant option

Sport England has produced a funding prospectus which can be downloaded from the website.

They are also holding surgeries for anyone interested in applying to the fund. the surgeries can be booked on the sport England website and will be held in the following locations

The Prince’s Countryside Fund provides more than £1m in grants each year to projects across the UK. Grants of up to £50,000 are available for innovative projects that will provide a lasting legacy to the individuals and communities they seek to benefit.

The trust recognise that rural communities face a range of challenges. One way in which the Prince's Countryside Trust help grassroots organisations overcome these is through their grant programme.

The Prince's Countryside Trust are seeking applications to support activity that results in a long-term positive impact on rural communities by helping the people that live and work in the countryside. The grant programme currently aims to tackle the following key rural issues:

To improve the prospects of viability for family farm businesses

To sustain rural communities and drive economic vibrancy

To support aid delivery in emergency and building resilience

The deadline for this round of applications is 5th October at 5pm.

More details are available on the Prince's Countryside Trust's website.

Community grants usually range between £5,000 and £25,000 and are awarded towards projects which introduce facilities to enable increased community use of places of worship. National Churches Trust are interested in a wide range of projects but all will include toilets or catering facilities. To qualify, projects should have an estimated cost of at least £25,000 (including VAT and fees).

Places of worship of any denomination and age can apply. Applications will be considered from listed and unlisted Christian places of worship across the UK. For 2018 NCT continue to encourage applications from their priority areas - North East England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, as well as from Baptist and Presbyterian churches, but other churches may still apply.

The application process begins with an eligibility quiz. Please answer these questions accurately. If you are eligible you will be able to continue to the application form.

The next deadline is 30 October 2017 for a decision in March 2018.

Subsequent deadlines will be: 5 March 2018 for a decision in July 2018, 2 July 2018 for a decision in November 2018.

Full details and guidance is available on the National Churches Trust website.

National Churches Trust Micro-Grants in Partnership with the Cinnamon Network

Launched in 2016, applicants with necessary facilities soon to be in place can also be considered for National Churches Trust Micro-Grant in Partnership with the Cinnamon Network. These are additional £2,000 micro-grants available to successful applicants to set up a new Cinnamon Network Recognised Project that meets the needs of local people.

Sport can have a significant and measurable impact on people’s lives. Recognising the positive impact rugby union and its values can have on individuals and communities, Comic Relief and England Rugby are working in partnership to deliver the Try for Change Fund.

Through the large grants programme, Comic Relief are looking to fund projects which will have a significant and lasting impact on the lives of some of the most vulnerable and marginalised people in England. Organisations which use rugby union, its values or the rugby community to tackle some of the biggest issues facing society are invited to apply for a grant of up to £100,000.

Try for Change aims to help people reach their goals and fulfil their potential, whilst delivering long-term benefits to the wider community. Proposals to the large grants programme must demonstrate wider social outcomes and not just focus on increasing participation in rugby. Proposals must therefore work towards at least one of the following Try for Change outcomes:

1. Increase community cohesion or social integration

2. Improve educational attainment

3. Increase employability

4. Reduce involvement in gangs and/or reduce the risk of re-offending

5. Improve mental and physical health

Examples of the types of projects Comic Relief will fund include:

Projects that use a mixture of rugby, mentoring and personal development sessions to provide opportunities for unemployed young people to develop work-relevant skills; whilst also improving their health and well-being.

Intergenerational projects that use rugby to connect people of different ages and tackle the effects of dementia, depression and loneliness.

Projects that provide opportunities for refugees and asylum seekers to develop key life skills, and use the game of rugby to bridge social, economic and cultural divides within communities.

Where rugby is used as a diversionary activity for those at risk of becoming involved in gangs or crime.

The fund is open for proposals from 4 September to 2 October 2017 (midday). Assessments will take place in November and all applicants informed of the final decision by the end of January 2018.

With effect from 1st July 2017, the maximum amount which applicants can request for Large Grants, Hospices, Village Halls & Community Centres will be increased to £50,000 (from £45,000). These grants are only for one-off capital projects where the total cost of the project is under £1M (apart from hospices where there is no maximum total cost limit).

Applicants must have secured at least 50% before making an application to Trusthouse Charitable Foundation.

If you have recently made an application for any of these schemes, the increased grant amount will be factored in when your application is considered.

Trusthouse Charitable Foundation offers a range of grants for core-costs, salaries, project costs and capital items the level of grants go from grants of below £6,000 to a maximum of £50,000. Full details are available on the Trusthouse Website.

Some recent grants include:

Bacmans Community Ltd. £9,000 Towards the cost of a Community Hub in Lynemouth.

Hadston House Youth & Community Projects Ltd. £9,500 Towards the cost of youth sessions and a youth cafe at a the community centre.

Northumberland Community Enterprise Ltd. £6,500 Towards the running costs of an Employability iLearn Project in Morpeth.

The North East Fund offers grants of up to £50,000 to organisations to help make a long term difference to local communities. To find out more about current funded organisations click here.

The Foundation want to hear from community organisations working to promote long-term change in the most deprived neighbourhoods in the North East. We all know that local knowledge is vital to the success of any new idea and they are looking for applications from voluntary organisations working within their local community to:

Support vulnerable people into quality housing

Get young people into long term jobs

Create opportunities through social enterprise.

The foundation are receiving and assessing applications now!

The fund will close when all funds have been committed. As the closing date will therefore be determined by the number and quality of applications received, organisations are encouraged to submit their application as soon as they are ready. They will be considered in date order. For more information or to apply to the North East Fund visit the website.

Big Lottery Fund have revised and simplified their application form and guidance for the Reaching Communities programme to better reflect their Strategic Framework 2015 - 2021.

A key component of the new framework is their vision of 'People in the lead' and this runs through both the application form and guidance.

Big Lottery Fund's description of this in the guidance for Reaching Communities is:

People in the Lead

We believe that the best way to improve communities is through harnessing and supporting the ideas, skills and energy of the people who live in them. Our ‘People in the Lead’ approach focusses on ensuring people are able to drive change in their community right from the start, and remain in the driving seat from design through to delivery. By doing this, our funding can help ensure that people and places are better prepared to make the most of their potential, and overcome the range of challenges they may face in the future.

Funding Priorities

Reaching Communities has new funding priorities, these are:

The most important thing is that you tell us what your ideas are for making positive change in your communities.We particularly want to hear about ideas that support:

Lasting and sustainable changes to places and spaces

Communities to develop happier and stronger relationships with each other

Taking action to focus on the root causes of social problems to tackle them at the earliest possible stage

Full details and the new stage one application form is available on the Big Lottery website.
You are strongly encouraged to contact BIG Lottery on 0345 4 10 20 30 before starting an application.

Reaching Communities BuildingsThis stream of Reaching Communities funding will close at 5pm on 31/1/17. We anticipate that a revised buildings programme will launch in the near future.

Running a community event or activity such as fun runs, village fete, clean-up day, tree planting, bird watch.

Supporting seasonal activities such as purchasing new Christmas lights, supporting a Christmas meal for the homeless or a Diwali celebration event for the community etc.

These are just some examples of projects that are now eligible as the green light will be given to many other schemes that meet the programme’s aims and objectives to fund projects which will benefit the local community.

To ensure that the programme is really local the number of projects funded every two months has been increased and there are new funding amounts – with £4,000, £2,000 and £1,000 up for grabs.
You do not have to be near a Tesco's shop to apply.
More information is available on the Groundwork website

To mark 300 years of the United Grand Lodge of England many celebratory events will be held across the country ranging from Thanksgiving Services, gala dinners to Teddy Bear Picnics and community events. 2017 will see a full year of donations by regional Provincial Grand Lodges throughout England & Wales to charities which operate in the local community.

The Provincial Grand Lodge of Northumberland, which stretches from Berwick upon Tweed, Haltwhistle in the west, Seahouses and Whitley bay in the east to Newcastle in the south is delighted to be part of these celebrations. We will be giving away thousands of pounds to local charities throughout 2017, in the hope this financial boost will help community projects throughout the region, increasing the hugely positive effect they have to peoples lives within the community.

If you are a local charity and would like to apply to be considered for a Provincial Grand Lodge of Northumberland donation, then please complete the form on the Northumberland Masons website